Automatic gas cut-off.



R. L. ALEXANDER & J. 1). LYDIOK. AUTOMATIC GAS GUT-OFF.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1912.

Y Patented Dec. 10,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R. L. ALEXANDER & J. n. LYDIK.

AUTOMATIG GAS GUT-OFF.

AP PLIGATION FILED AUG. 5, 1912.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

7 115-; 5 I L L I I mow Zil Zexaauzer mi Jffl L 161? am/income I 4 w aUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT LEE ALEXANDER AND JESSE DEAN LYDICK, OF SHAWNEE, OKLAHOMA.

AUTOMATIC GAS CUT-OFF.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10,1912.

Application filed August '5, 1912. Serial No. 713,378.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT LEE ALEX- ANDER and Jesse DEAN LYDICK,citizens of the United States, residing at Shawnee, in the county ofPottawatomie and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Gas Cut- Offs; and we do declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

This invention relates to improvements in automatically operated out offvalves for gas burners.

One object of the invention is to provide an automat-ically-closingvalve having an improved thermostatically operated means for holding thesame in open position as long as the burner remains lighted and whichwill release the valve as soon as the flame is extinguished from anycause.

Another object is to provide an automatic thermal gas cut-off which willbe simple, strong and durable, inexpensive in construction, efiicientand reliable in operation and which may be employed in connection withany form of gas burner.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts. aswill be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:Figure 1 is a front view of a gas heatingstove, showing the application of the invention; Fig. 2 is an end viewthereof; Fig. 3 is an enlarged front view of the invention detached fromthe stove, and showing the gas supply pipe in section; Fig. A is aninner side View of the device, looking in the direction of the arrow Ain Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a similar view of the outer side of the device,looking in the direction of the arrow B in Fig. 3; and Fig. 6 is ahorizontal sectional view, taken on the line 66 of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes the gasconducting pipe, to which our improved cut-off is applied. On the end ofthe pipe 1 is a burner 2, which may be of any desired form and which ishere shown as adapted for use in a gas heating stove or radiator. In thepipe 1 is also arranged the usual or any form of manually operated gascontrolling valve 3.

At a suitable location in the pipe 1 is arranged our improvedautomatically closing cutoff valve 1, on the stem 5 of which is arrangeda coiled valve-closing spring 6. One end of the spring 6 is engaged witha suitable part of the valve casing and the other end thereof is engagedwith the head or thumb-piece 7 on the valve stem, whereby the torsionalpressure or stress of the spring will be applied to close and hold thecut-0E valve in closed position.

In order to hold the valve 4 in an open position when the burner is inuse and to permit the valve to automatically close when the flame orlight is extinguished from any cause, we provide a thermostaticallyoperated valve holding and releasing mechanism comprising a supportingplate 8 having on one end a right angularly-projecting standard 9 andhaving in its opposite end apertures adapted to receive screws, studs orother fastening devices 10, which are en gaged with laterally-projectinglugs 11 on one of the sockets 12 of the gas supply pipe with which thecasing of the valve A is engaged. At a suitable position on the supporting plate 8 is arranged a bearing post 13 having thereon a bearingbracket 14, between which and the upper end of the post ispivotally-mounted a valve holding and releasing lever 15. The inner endof the lever 15 is disposed adjacent to one end of the head 7 on thestem 5 of the cutoff valve and on said end is a beveled stop lug ordetent 16, which is adapted to engage one end of the head 7 and therebyhold the valve in an open position.

On the upper end of the standard 9 is secured a casing 17 in which isarranged a thermostat 18, which is preferably constructed fromsubstantially circular metal strips soldered or otherwise suitablyjoined together throughouttheir entire length. The outer strip or bandis formed of steel, while the inner band is formed of brass. Fromexperiments it has been found that a thermostat constructed as describedis expanded under heat to the desired extent and is best adapted to thepurpose for which the same is employed in connection with our invention.One end of the thermostat is rigidly secured to the upper portion of thestandard 9 by a clamping bolt 19 having a hook shaped outer end which isengaged with the end of the thermostat, as shown. The opposite end ofthe thermostat has formed therein a slot 20, which is connected by alink 21 to the adjacent end of the lever 15, whereby the latter isactuated by the expansion and contraction of the thermostat. Theexpanding and contracting movement of the thermostat is controlled orregulated to operate under a greater or less degree of heat or cold by aregulating bolt 22 having one end engaged with a segmental slot 23 inthe standard 9 and casing 17, and has on its inner end a hook, which isengaged with the thermostat and on its outer end is provided with aclamping nut 24. The nut 24, when screwed up against the casing, willfirmly secure the bolt and hold the thermostat in its adjusted position.By thus constructing and arranging the valve holding lever 15 and thethermostat 18, it will be seen that when the valve 4 is open and thestop lug or detent on the lever engaged with the head on the valve stem,the valve will be held open as long as the thermostat is expanded byheat from the burner which as will be understood is located at suchposition with respect to the thermostat that the latter will beafi'ected by the heat from the flame of the burner. It the flow of thegas to the burner should be stopped for any cause and the flame thusextinguished, the thermostat will immediately contract thus forcing itsfree end downwardly, which operation will through the link 21 rock thelever 15 in the proper direction for disengaging the stop lug or detent16 from the head 7 on the stem of the cut-off valve, whereupon thespring 6 will immediately close the cut-oil valve, as will be readilyunderstood. In order to prevent the cut-ofi' valve from closing when.sa1d automatic releasing mechanism is disengaged therefrom, we providea catch 25 in the form of a short plate, which is pivotally-inounted onthe upper end of a bracket or standard 26 secured to a suitable part ofthe casing of the cut-ofi valve, whereby when said catch plate is turneddownwardly to a horizontal position or at right angles to the bracket,the end of the plate will be disposed in the pat-h of movment of thehead 7 on the stem of the cut-ofi valve and will thereby hold the valvein an open position against the pressure of the spring 6. By means ofthis manually-operated valve holding catch it will beseen that theautomatic cut-ofi mechanism will be unefiectual and the flow of the gasto the burner is controlled by the manually-operated controlling valve3.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the inventionwill be readily understood without requiring a more extendedexplanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, as claimed.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. An automaticcut-oil for gas burners comprising a cut-off valve having a stem, a headon said stem, a spring engaged with said stem and adapted toautomatically close and. hold the valve in closed position, a thermostatsupporting frame comprising a base plate, a lever supporting postthereon, a valve holding lever pivotally-mounted on said post, a beveleddetent 011 one end of said lever to engage the head of the valve, where:by the latter is held in an open position, a standard on said baseplate, a thermostat casing secured to said standard, a thermostatcomprising substantially circular strips of metal having varyingexpanding qualr ties, means to rigidly secure one end of said strips tosaid standard, a link to pivotally connect the opposite ends of thestrips with the free ends of the lever, a thermostat reg ulating bolthaving an adjustable engagement with said strips and with said standardswhereby the expansion and contractual of the strips are controlled, andmanuallyoperated means to lock said cut-oil valve in an open position.

2. An automatic cut-oft for gas burners comprising an automaticallyclosing valve having a stem, a head on said stem, a spring to close thevalve and hold. the same in closed position, a pivotally-mounted leverhaving on one end a detent adapted to enthe head on said valve stem andthereby hold the valve in open position, a suit-- ably-supportedthermostat connected with the free end of the lever, whereby the latteris rocked to disengage the detent thereon from the head on the valvestem when the flame of the burner is extinguished, and amanually-operated valve locking mechanism comprising a suitablysupported bracket, a catch pivo-tally secured to said bracket andadapted to be swung downwardly into engagement with the head of thevalve stem, whereby the latter will be locked to hold the valve in openposition until said catch is manually released.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ROBERT LEE ALEXANDER. JESSE DEAN LYDICK.. lVitnesses:

Gno. M. SOUTHGATE, GEORGE C. ABERNATHY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

